Serca2b inhibition aids T cell activation and selectively promotes tumor cell death

We found that T cells and tumor cells are differentially dependent on Atp2a2 for their survival. In fact, Atp2a2 KO T cells have increased function, whereas Atp2a2 KO tumor cells die. Thapsigargin is a drug that targets the protein product of Atp2a2: Serca2b. We found that in tumor cells, the SAGA complex transmits TG signals to induce tumor cell death, principally via Ccdc101. Overall design: Here, we treated tumor cells (either WT or Ccdc101 KO) or T cells (WT or Atp2a2 KO) with TG (50ng/mL) or Veh (DMSO) for 8 hours. The T cells were additionally activated with anti-CD3 antibodies (2.5ug/mL in PBS) for 24 hours (Act) or not (Rest).